Method of sewing felt hats



Feb. 3, 1931. BECKER 1,791,461

METHOD OF SEWING FELT HATS Filed March 6, 1929 reamed Feb. 3,1931

with S5FATES em T orrics RUDOLEH BECKER, NGETE PLAINFIELD, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE SINGER MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF ELIZABETH, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY Application filed March 6,

of plies, preferably by folding the edge of the hat-brim back upon one face of the brim.

The superposed plies are then channeled and t seam. It is found that felt, when channeled d stitched, leaves little or no visible evince of a seam having been formed therein, as the surface fuzz or hairs close in over the channel and conceal the same. This unexcperty of felt is very useful in the edge of a felt hat-brim to be finished with a concealed stitch scam in a very simple manner on an ordinary sewing machine. Th's tendency of the channeled hat-brim to conceal the presence of a seam therein may be augmented by brushing or iandling the hat-brim, or by moistening, 'rcning and brushing it to shrink and comb i; the accompanying drawings, Fig. 1 is felt hat having its brim-edge finished 1n accordance with the present improvement.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view through the hat-brim edge-seam. Fig. 3 is a top plan view and Fig. l is a bottom plan view of the seam, and F 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of the seam in the process of formation.

in practicing the method, in its preferred form, on the brim of a felt hat 1, the edgeportion 2 of the brim 3 is folded back upon the upper face of the brim, to provide superposed plies, and presented to a sewing machine having stitch-forming mechanism including a reciprocating needle 4, and feeding mechanism including the feed-dog 5 and upper feed-foot 6. The sewing machine is preferably equipped with upper and lower ed together by a through-and-through METHOD OF SEWING FELT HATS 1929. Serial No. 344,625]

channeling knives 7, 8 which cut the channels 9, 10 in the superposed plies 2, 8, in advance of the needle 4 which forms the line of stitches 11 in the channels 9, 10; the stitches being sunk below the exposed faces of the plies 2, 3.7

In a channeled seam in felt, it is found that t 1e channel closes itself or springs shut and that the surface fuzz conceals the channel as well as the stitches, leaving practically no visible evidence that a seam has been formed.

A subsequent brushin 'of the hat-brim is preferably done to augment the crossing and covering effect of the surface fuzz on the channels, or the hat may be moistened, ironed and brushed to shrink the felt and thus more tightly close and conceal the channels.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention, what If claim herein is 1. The method of welting the edge ofthe brim of a felt hat which consists in providing at the free edge of the hat-brim a plurality of superposed plies of felt, cutting a narrow channel in an exposed face of said plies, and uniting said plies by a line of stitches laid in the channel, whereby said channel springs shut and is concealed together with the line of stitches by the surface fuzz of the felt.

2. The method of welting the edge of the brim of a felt hat which consists in providing at the free edge of the hat-brim a plurality of superposed plies, channeling an exposed face of said plies, uniting said plies by a line of stitches laid in the channel, and lastly, brushing the surface fibres of the felt, adjacent the channel, whereby the channel is concealed by the brushed fibres.

3. The method of finishing the edge of the brim of a felt hat which consists in providing at the free edge of the hat-brim a plurality of superposed plies, channeling an exposed face of said plies, uniting said plies by a line of stitches laid in the channel, and shrinking and brushing the channeled and stitched felt, adjacent the channel, whereby the channel is concealed by the brushed fibres,

4. A felt hat having a welted brim the edge-portion of which is constituted by a plurality of superposed plies, said plies having an exposed face formed with a channel, a line of stitching disposed in said channel and securing said plies together, said channel being closed and concealing the stitches and the surface fuzz of the brim covering and concealing the channel.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

RUDOLPH BECKER. 

